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Brentwood board hears solar‑production figures and seeks usage data after utilities fall sharply
Summary
Administrators reported a large drop in utility bills since the district’s solar array went online and provided a production summary; the board asked facilities and the solar vendor for clearer, printable production and usage reports to include in the newsletter and future packets.
The Brentwood School Board received an update on the district’s solar array and utility bills and directed staff to get clearer production and usage figures for a public newsletter and future board packets.
Administrators reported that year‑to‑date solar production figures provided by the vendor show 247 megawatts (presentation language in the meeting). They also reported that, since the array became active, central office utility charges have fallen sharply: staff cited $294 in utility charges so far for the current reporting period compared with roughly $40,000 for the previous 12‑month cycle. Facilities staff and the finance office said they were still verifying which accounts and meters those low bills reflected and noted that some small bills (for flashing crosswalk lights and exterior blue strobe lights) still appear on the district ledger.
Facilities Director Brian Sands had contacted Eversource for account and usage details but had not yet received a complete printable usage report. The board asked Barrington Power (the district’s solar vendor) for a more readable, printable monthly production report and asked facilities to continue pursuing exact usage data from the utility so the district can compare production to consumption.
Board members asked staff to produce a visual comparison for public distribution — month‑by‑month production versus usage and an estimate of savings compared with the prior year’s utility costs and the district’s bond payments tied to the solar project. Administrators cautioned that some months fell under or above the vendor’s production estimate (months with heavy rain or partial start dates), and they said they would seek an explanation from the vendor about why actual production sometimes differed from projections.
Ending: The board requested that facilities and finance provide a printable production report from the vendor, verified usage from Eversource, and a proposed newsletter graphic showing production vs. usage and an estimated savings figure for public outreach.
